As expected, the Mets offered salary arbitration to Oliver Perez.

However, they did not offer arbitration to Luis Ayala and Moises Alou.

…as i said this morning, perez did not accept arbitration for one season, because he will certainly sign a multi-year deal, be it with the Mets or with another team…however, by offering it, if he signs with another team, the Mets will now receive two compensatory draft picks…

Teams can continue to negotiate with their own free agents, regardless of whether the player accepts arbitration.

In a post to his blog for the Daily News, Adam Rubin explains why tonight’s deadline only affected Perez, Ayala and Alou, and not Pedro Martinez, Damion Easley and others.

The Mets announced Nick Evans has a mild, right quadriceps strain.

He will undergo three to four weeks of physical therapy in his hometown of Phoenix, AZ.

…Update…11:03 pm…

Initially, the team announced Evans had an MRI.

However, they later made a correction stating that he did not have an MRI.

I tried to install a PDA plugin that will make MetsBlog.com more readable on a BlackBerry, iPhone, etc.

Please try to view this site on your PDA, and let me know if it’s working.

According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, the Yankees have decided not to offer salary arbitration to free-agent LHP Andy Pettitte, nor free-agent OF Bobby Abreu.

…i still believe the Yankees will end up signing pettitte, but for less than the $16 million he was likely to get in arbitration…either that, or he’ll return to the Astros, or do what all ex-Yankees and ex-Red Sox do: join Joe Torre and the Dodgers…

In a recent post to his blog for ESPN.com, Jayson Stark wrote, “We’re also hearing talk connecting the Mets with Abreu, although his initial asking price (three years, $45 million) isn’t close to what they had in mind.”

…i do not hide my dislike of abreu, who i believe is overrated as an actual baseball player…that said, if for some reason the Mets do end up signing him, which i doubt they will, but if they did, it’s good to know they will not be giving two draft picks to do so…

The Mets have signed 17–year-old Venezuelan RHP Carlos Avellones, according to Primera Hora.

…from what i can gather, the above is accurate, though the Mets do not typically issue press releases for such signings…

According to his agent, Avellones has ‘huge potential,’ while maintaining his fastball around 90 mph.

…hey, the more the merrier…sign them all, if you can…

According to Primera Hora, Los Leones de Ponce GM Francisco Montaner told the Associated Press that the Mets have been scouting free-agent RHP Fernando Cabrera.

…thanks to D from Wrightaholics for the link…

Montar said the Mets will eventually sign Cabrera, ‘or they have at least come to see him throw.’

The 28–year-old Cabrera is 8–7 in 125 major-league relief appearances for the Indians and O’s, during which he had a 5.02 ERA while striking out 185 batters in 168 innings.

The Orioles signed Cabrera last off-season. 

However, he was put on the disabled list in March following surgery on his right elbow.  He returned to pitch 22 innings, before being cut in September after he ‘rudely flipped the ball back to his manager.’

The Mets signed 25–year-old C Rene Rivera to a minor league deal, according to the News Tribune in Seattle.

Rivera was batting .227 with a .252 OBP in 53 major-league at bats with the Mariners.

The Mets, Cubs and Phillies each contacted OF Raul Ibanez last week, according to the New Tribune in Seattle.

Last week, Omar Minaya confirmed that his team has interest in Ibanez, wrote the Daily News.

“We’ve heard very good reports about him, not only as a player, but as a person,” Minaya told the Daily News.

In a Sunday round-up for Baseball Prospectus, John Perrotto believes the Mets could soon become suitors for free-agent OF Manny Ramirez.

Speaking of Ramirez, in a post to ESPN.com, Peter Gammons writes:

“Ramirez is in better shape now than he was when he signed with the Red Sox… ‘The work Manny did for his core and his agility completely changed him,’ says former North Carolina coach Mike Roberts, who oversees much of the baseball-related operations for API.  ‘It is amazing what he’s done for his body.’”

Speaking of outfielders, last week, WCKY in Cincinnati reported the White Sox requested RHP Homer Bailey and a second prospect from the Reds in a deal for Jermaine Dye.

Similarly, according to the Boston Globe, the White Sox would want more than just Andy Sonnanstine or Edwin Jackson from the Rays in exchange for Dye.

…he’s the perfect solution for the Mets, in that he has power, he’s a respected player, he’s won, he has only one year guaranteed on his current deal, and he’s a righty…but, i’m not yet sure he’s worth a collection of pitching prospects…

Lastly, also regarding outfielders, the market for Adam Dunn is not what Dunn had hoped it would be, according to Jon Heyman at SI.com.

In a report for FoxSports.com, Ken Rosenthal wonders if the D’Backs will offer arbitration to Dunn, and if will he accept it.

…the more his price drops, the more i am intrigued by dunn, who is such a divisive figure for online baseball fans…people either love dunn, or they think he’s terribly overrated…i like him…especially as a sixth hitter, who will either clobber a home run, keep the line moving or strike out…

…if the D’Backs do not offer him arbitration, meaning he will not cost a new team any compensatory draft picks, it will be interesting to see if more people begin checking in on him…

Tonight, at midnight, is the deadline for teams to offer arbitration to their own free agents, who have until next Sunday, Dec. 7, to accept it.

Teams can continue to negotiate with their own free agents, regardless of whether the player accepts arbitration.

According to Ken Davidoff in Newsday, while the Mets are likely to offer salary arbitration to free-agent Oliver Perez, they will probably not do so with free-agent Pedro Martinez, according to multiple industry sources.

…perez will not accept arbitration for one season, because he can almost certainly sign a multi-year deal, be it with the Mets or with another team…however, by offering it, if he signs with another team, the Mets will receive two compensatory draft picks…

…on the other hand, if the Mets offer arbitration to pedro, he could very well accept it, for lack of a better offer on the open market, which means the Mets have to welcome him back, like it or not…

Davidoff also believes the Mets will not offer arbitration to Moises Alou, Luis Ayala, Damion Easley, Orlando Hernandez, Ramon Martinez, Ricardo Rincon or Matt Wise.

To learn more about the arbitration process, go to MLB.com.

…the buzz in baseball seems to be that most teams are waiting to see how players respond to arbitration offers before jumping in to the free-agent pool…

…once they know who will cost what in terms of compensatory draft picks, the Hot Stove will become a lot hotter…

The Cubs may be working with the Orioles in an effort to acquire RHP Jake Peavy from the Padres, reports FoxSports.com.

According to the Baltimore Sun, the Cubs could send Felix Pie to the O’s, who would send Garrett Olson to San Diego.

The Red Sox have a three-year deal in place with Japanese RHP Junichi Tazawa, according to the Boston Globe.

According to Jim Street of MLB.com, citing the player’s agent, nine teams have expressed interest in free-agent OF Ken Griffey Jr, who would be willing to sign a one-year contract with incentives, depending on the team.

The Pirates consider C Ryan Doumit, OF Nate McLouth, LHP Paul Maholm and RHP Matt Capps as ‘untouchable,’ writes Dejan Kovacevic in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

According to Tim Kurkjian at ESPN.com, the D’Backs would be happy to trade OF Eric Byrnes, “but that is highly unlikely.”

Lastly, in a post to his blog for MASN, O’s reporter Rich Kubatko explains, “The Orioles still haven’t decided what to do with pitcher Daniel Cabrera, but they have until Dec. 12 to figure it out.”

In today’s Newsday, Ken Davidoff reports the Mets contacted the Rangers earlier in the off season about C Gerald Laird.

“There hasn’t been much discussion there lately,” writes Davidoff, noting, instead, how the Mets have prioritized ‘the renovation of their pitching staff.’

In early November, at SI.com, Jon Heyman wrote:

“Some Mets people are concerned about their catching.  But some in their hierarchy don’t like that the best free-agent options… Pudge Rodriguez and Bengie Molina don’t exactly make them younger.”

The Dallas Morning News has written the Rangers will listen to offers for all of their catchers, including Max Ramirez, Laird and Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

However, in all cases, the Rangers will want a top-flight, proven, under-contract, young pitcher in return, such as Red Sox RHP Clay Buchholz, according to the Boston Globe.

For what it’s worth, according to Ken Davidoff in a previous report for Newsday, the Rangers have shown interest in RHP Aaron Heilman, who will turn 30 later this month, and who is not eligible for free agency until after 2010.

The 29–year-old Laird hit .276 in 95 games for Texas, while hitting six HR and 41 RBI with a .329 OBP.

In 2008, he threw out 28 percent of runners who tried to steal against him, compared to a 39–percent success rate in 2007 and a 45–percent success rate in 2006.

Free-agent LHP Brian Fuentes is scheduled to meet the Mets, according to the player’s agent, reports Troy E. Renck in today’s Denver Post.

Last week, in the Daily News, Adam Rubin wrote Fuentes is seeking a three-year deal worth around $33 million, which the Mets feel is too expensive, ‘but they are still interested.’

Meanwhile, over the weekend, Francisco Rodriguez’s agent told the Associated Press that he will meet the Mets during next week’s Winter Meetings.

According to the report, the agent said, “I don’t have anything else planned.”

…i love this guy’s honesty…

…as i said before, i still believe it will cost three-years, plus an option, at close to $15 million per season, to sign rodriguez…and so, i’m not sure i’d prefer fuentes at a slight discount…

Mets 1B Carlos Delgado spent Thanksgiving serving dinner at a homeless shelter in Puerto Rico, according to Primera Hora.

Delgado told the newspaper the Mets should focus on acquiring a closer, a set-up man and at least one or two starting pitchers.

Delgado has filed paperwork to play for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, which will occur during spring training next season.

“I’ll be there if the need me,” Delgado told the newspaper.  “It would be a honor to represent my country.  I will have six weeks of training on the field for the World Baseball Classic, so I hope to be ready,” for the regular season.

…thanks, again, to Andrew M for the link and translation…

In the Daily News, Adam Rubin reports free-agent LHP Brian Fuentes is seeking a three-year deal worth around $33 million, according to a source familiar with the discussion.

…in the end, though, i’m guessing it will cost three-years, plus an option, at close to $15 million per season, to sign Francisco Rodriguez…

Rubin says the Mets do not believe Fuentes is worth that asking price, ‘but they are still interested in the former Rockie.’

Omar Minaya began reaching out to the agents for Rodriguez and Fuentes on Wednesday, according to multiple reports.

At MLB.com, Marty Noble writes, “Weeks ago, a member of the Mets hierarchy acknowledged the club doesn’t view Fuentes or, for that matter, Rodriguez, as it did Wagner, in a ‘must-have’ way.”

That said, according to Tim Brown at Yahoo!, the Mets had once discussed signing both Trevor Hoffman and Fuentes, ‘though surely neither would lower themselves to pitch the eighth inning.’

…and not if fuentes is seeking $10 million per season, they aren’t signing both closers to share the job…at that point, they’d be better off trading for Huston Street or J.J. Putz and signing K-Rod, which i still believe is what they are trying to do…

In fact, in a special Hot Stove report for FoxSports.com, Tracy Ringolsby writes, “The Mets have targeted Putz as their priority in filling the need for a closer.”

By the way, according to the Associated Press, Rodriguez does not expect to sign a contract until after the Winter Meetings.

The Padres may have a third team to help facilitate a trade that could eventually send Jake Peavy to the Cubs, reports Yahoo!.

…just so long as jake doesn’t go to the Braves, gentlemen…

The A’s are at the top of the list for Rafael Furcal, writes the Contra Costa Times, while SI.com says the Giants, Cubs, Dodgers, Braves, and a mystery team also remain involved.

Speaking of the A’s, they and other teams have asked the Nationals for Nick Johnson’s medical records, suggesting he could be traded, reports FoxSports.com.

…lots of walks and lots of injuries, sounds like the A’s to me…

Though it hasn’t happened yet, the Phillies are still expected to re-sign free-agent LHP Jamie Moyer, writes MLB.com.

The Blue Jays still feel there is a chance they will re-sign free-agent RHP A.J. Burnett, according to ESPN.com, even though they’ll have less to spend, as the Toronto Sun explains.

The Red Sox plan to offer salary arbitration to Jason Varitek, according to the Boston Herald.

…meaning he will cost two draft picks, if he signs with a new team…

Lastly, the Yankees are skeptical of the Angels’ interest in free-agent RHP CC Sabathia, writes Jon Heyman at SI.com.

…the idea being, the Angels are a) bidding up the price on the Yankees, while b) trying to spook Mark Teixeira in to re-signing, since reports continue suggest they can only afford one of the two…

NY1 relays a video which includes Rusty Staub handing out food to needy families in Harlem on Tuesday.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Marty Noble at MLB.com writes about what Mets skipper Jerry Manuel plans to do this Thanksgiving:

“On the night before the family gathers for Thanksgiving, Manuel is content. He knows that most of his family will surround him. A baseball season of challenge, something he relishes, awaits him, as do additional experiences in the role of grandfather… And to his delight, there are more experiences for him as a son, as his mother is to share Thanksgiving dinner with the family.”

…not to take away from the tone of this article, but i’ll be thankful when this ‘hot stove season’ finally gets underway because all these rumors are wearing on me…

Ken Davidoff at Newsday posts his second annual “overrated and over-hated 2008″ list which includes Willie Randolph (overrated) and Carlos Beltran (over-hated).

At Amazin’ Avenue, the saber-minded Eric Simon lists Mets VORP leaders through the years. For more on VORP, go here.

…this kind of thing must take forever to do…

The Virginian-Pilot has a video of David Wright doing charity work with kids on Tuesday.

Lastly, Rich Coutinho at ESPN thinks Luis Castillo deserves a second chance here in New York, writing: “There is too much pedigree in Castillo for me to throw dirt on him now. He seems to be contrite about his poor season while at the same time, he appears to be hungry to be an integral part of the 2009 Mets. I think he deserves a second chance in this town and he may just surprise us all.”

…if the mets keep him, i pray to god you are right rich, for his sake and for ours…

Chris Mascaro of Newsday caught up with Jose Reyes on Long Island yesterday and discussed various topics such as Luis Castillo’s leadership, the Phillies, and the closer situation.

Reyes, on playing in the WBC:

“You get to represent your country. That’s the most important thing to me. You just try to be there and try to do whatever they ask me to do.”

Adam Rubin has more from Reyes regarding Castillo at the Daily News as well.

The Mets and Phillies are among the six teams on the no-trade list, reports MLB.com, according to Dye’s agent.

…as i wrote yesterday, dye was willing to approve a deal to the Red Sox once before, so i do not take this to mean he’s anti-northeast, so much as he just wants a say regarding his destination…

Meanwhile, according to 1530 Radio in Cincinnati, the Reds offered RHP Homer Bailey and a second player for Dye.

Yesterday, on FoxSports.com, Ken Rosenthal reported the White Sox are asking teams for a young starting pitcher plus additional players in a deal for Dye.

However, he added, “The Mets, Rays and Phillies are among the teams balking at such a price.”